Amazon is expanding employee health clinics in Detroit and two California metro areas, the tech giant announced Thursday.
The “neighborhood health centers” as Amazon calls the clinics, are operated by Crossover Health, a health provider that runs clinics and virtual care for self-funded employers and health insurance plans. The California clinics will be in the San Bernardino and Moreno Valley metro areas.
“Our unique primary health model delivers a better member experience and improves health outcomes—with care delivered through online and in-person care channels,” said Sally Larwood, chief nursing officer at Crossover Health, in a statement. “We feel this comprehensive approach to relationship based care will become the standard for self-insured employers as they evolve their healthcare strategies and drive better clinical and financial results.”
Amazon already has similar health centers near worksites in Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Louisville, and said they’ve provided services to over 115,000 workers and their dependents since the program first launched in late 2020. The company said more than 75% of its employees are within 10 miles of one of these centers.
Amazon Senior program manager of workplace health and safety special programs Derek Rubino told The Detroit News that the clinics will be open past traditional business hours.
Crossover provides a broad range of services, from physical therapy and behavioral health to prescriptions and pediatric care, in addition to virtual care. It also holds a large database with employee data that is analyzed to help employers manage healthcare spending.
The expansion is part of what Amazon is already doing in attempting to keep employee healthcare services in-house. In late 2019, it launched Amazon Care, which is similar to Doctor on Demand but only for Seattle-based employees and includes house calls, and contracts with primary care provider Care Medical as an employee benefit. In Feb. 2021 Care Medical filed to expand services into 17 additional states, STAT reported.
It’s also part of bigger move by large, self-funded employers to keep employee costs controlled under one umbrella, instead of having workers get care in a largely fragmented system. Apple in 2018 opened AC Wellness Network employee/dependent health clinics in California. In addition, it has on-site clinics for employees run by Crossover Health in Texas and California. Some large companies are also opening their own health clinics, like Walmart, which has two primary care clinics in the Atlanta area.